The Window
by WannaPlayKevinBacon
Summary: Third installment in my fic trilogy that started with The Zoo and continued with The Island. What effect will returning to polite society have on the survivors?
1. Flashbulb Hearts

A/N: Hello again everyone! Here we are at the third installment of my fic escapade. This time around we've got a few differences, such as chapter titles in English rather than Latin. The rating is based upon mild slash (homosexual content), some sexual content, future gore and of course some disturbing themes. I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's characters or works; they're hers. Well, enough stalling, here goes.

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It was fear, joy, relief and apprehension; it was adrenaline and confusion. After being in the Muggle hotel for nearly a week, the terribly dilapidated group of survivors had returned home. Seven adults and seven children returned from the Muggle's zoo, exactly half the number that had been taken. Fourteen deaths and twice as many near-death experiences prayed on the minds of all of them, "It will be alright, you know." Tonks ensured Snape with a gentle smile, "It's just a bit of reporters and photographers for the papers… they're all glad to have us home."

"They're glad to have their stories." Snape muttered, "We're not returning to a friendly world, Nymphadora, not while we're in the spotlight."

"What would they possibly do to hurt us?" Tonks asked, a well disguised hint of concern in her whispering voice.

"We're all a mess, Nymphadora." Snape said, ignoring Tonks' restrained reaction to her first name, "Potter, Draco, that Goyle boy, Longbottom and half of the Weasleys. Sirius is still wanted for murder and now Lupin's admittedly _eaten_ at least three people, and then there's the very obvious age difference between you and I. These things won't remain quiet for long."

"It's only an appearance." Tonks scolded gently, "Stop being so paranoid."

"I hope you're right." Snape said with obvious doubt as the crowd outside began to grow restless, and far louder.

"Professor Snape, do we have to do this?" Neville whispered; he looked frightened, and Ginny looked annoyed.

"It's the Ministry's way of… welcoming us back." Snape said ironically, with a meaningful glare at Tonks.

Tonks rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around his as the doors flew open and flashbulbs went off like lightning and the damage was done. Snape sighed and reached down to take her hand, "Let's give them something to talk about then." Tonks said, looking up at him bravely, "Take the focus off of the children."

Snape closed his eyes and took a slow breath before nodding; his normally reclusive nature would have to be cast aside to protect the younger survivors, "What did you have in mind?" he muttered, ignoring the shouts of reporters, "Make a speech?"

They were nearly halfway through the crowd now, and Tonks turned to him, forcing him to stop, "You really don't read the papers much, do you?"

Before Snape could reply she had wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. The roar of questions from the reporters grew deafening and cameras went berserk. Even the other survivors stop to gape at the pair as Snape's hands curled into fists and he managed to shake off the shock and pull back, staring at Tonks. She smiled and he continued walking, pulling her with him by the wrist as she giggled.

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"I thought it was just a diversion." Hermione said, "After all, Tonks and Snape are _ages_ apart."

"Literally." Ron said, then smiled with self-pride, "I came up with that one on my own."

"An occasion for butterbeer." Harry said.

"And firewhiskey." Fred added, "_And_ a party in honor of uh… butterbeer and firewhiskey."

"And where would we have this hypothetical party?" Ginny asked doubtfully, Neville nodding at her side.

"Prefect's bathroom?" George offered.

"No way." Ron said, "Hermione and I got the Prefect position out of pity and we're not going to lose it before the first week of classes is over!"

"Speak for yourself." Hermione said, "I got that position because I _earned_ it with quick thinking and good representation of our House."

"Yes, faking pregnancy was _ingenious_." Ron muttered.

"And ironic." Fred said.

"I'm pregnant!" Ginny shouted sarcastically.

"Ginny," Neville said tolerantly, "It isn't really very obvious that you want us to stop talking about it when you shout it like that every two minutes."

"Back to the party planning." Fred said, waving his hand for attention, "Should we invite the snakes over?"

"Of course." Harry said, standing up, "Hey Draco!"

The entire Great Hall looked at Harry as he motioned Draco and Goyle over; the two Slytherins stood after a bit of hesitation and walked over to the table, sitting in between Ron and Hermione, "What is it, Potter?"

"We were planning a party." Harry said.

"Hogwarts will probably throw something in our honor but we want a _real_ party first." Fred said, "Are you two in?"

"Definitely." Goyle said.

Draco gave him a look before crossing his arms and blowing his bangs out of his face, "So where is it?"

"How about the Lake?" Ginny offered, "We could swim."

"With the mermaids?!" Ron demanded, "Never again, no."

"I agree." Harry muttered.

"Ok so where can we swim that's safe?" Neville asked, wrapping an encouraging arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"With a little magical waterproofing…" George said.

"And a lot of Aguamenti…" Fred added.

"You're looking at it." they finished together.

"No way can you pull that off!" Draco hissed.

"_Never_ doubt the Weasley twins." Neville muttered.

"But there _is_ no way we can all get down here without being caught in the middle of the night." Hermione added.

"Nonsense." Fred said, "We'll just… go in the dark, move some of the portraits around and some of you can use Harry's invisibility cloak."

"You know I'm a prefect too." Draco said.

"Well just keep Pansy off of us and it'll be fine." George said, "Don't let her follow you; not all the Slytherins are like you two."

"Not even _we_ were like us until we almost died." Goyle muttered.

"Right, well… we'll all just have to keep an eye out for Filch and Snape, and whoever's on night patrol duty." Draco said, "Well be able to find that out early, being prefects."

"Tell anyone you don't think will tell any of the Professors." George said, "Fred and I'll take care of the water; Hermione, Draco and Ron? You turn the portraits, and Goyle and Harry find out who's on patrol and figure out how Ginny and Neville can distract Filch. We'll set it for Friday at… midnight."

"That's the day before the ball." Fred added.

They all made various noises of agreement and fell silent once again as the Minister of Magic rose to speak, "Anyone else up for skipping this?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah." they all said in unison, all except for Hermione.

"I'm not missing the opening speech." she said, "I'll let you know what was said."

They dispersed slowly, a few at a time to avoid being caught, as Hermione joined the other Gryffindors for the less than moving speech from the Minister of magic and some words from Snape.

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Draco smiled to himself as he walked to his bed, collapsing onto it with a loud sigh, "Thank Merlin."

"Tired?" Goyle asked quietly from his spot across the room.

"You have no idea; I think having the Headmaster as temporary Head of House just makes everything more complicated when you're a Prefect. Snape expects a lot out of us, especially _me_."

"I thought about you today." Goyle blurted, then after a moment of silence he hung his head, "Sorry, that was strange." Goyle said quietly, opening his trunk and rifling through it before pulling out a small box with a curious look.

"What is it?" Draco asked, pulling off his sweater and rolling on to his stomach to watch the boy.

Goyle opened the small box as he shrugged his own robes off and onto the floor, "My ring."

"Your _family_ ring? You still have it?" Draco asked, sitting up on his knees.

"I didn't have it on when we were taken… I never remember it."

Draco stood, "Well mine's long gone." he said, walking over.

Goyle smiled bitterly, "I suppose mine should be… there isn't really a _family_ to have a ring for is there?"

"I wish I still had mine." Draco said with a shrug as Goyle pulled his ring off, "It was… important to me."

"Yeah well we're not the same people anymore." Goyle muttered, tossing his ring on the floor.

Draco bent and picked the ring up, surveying it closely, "I don't see why you're so upset about who you are… the people our families hated are the people who did _this_."

"No." Goyle said, sorting through clothes in his trunk roughly, "The people our families hated are _good _people… like Potter and Granger and Tonks."

Draco walked to Goyle and placed the ring back into his hand, placing his own hand over it, "Then keep this and _change_ your family. Don't just run away."

Goyle locked eyes with Draco and, to his surprise, received a smile; he leaned forward slowly, closing his eyes. Draco met him half way and their kiss was not the emotional, desperate, fumbling mess that the kisses before had been. It was innocent and brave, quiet and deafening all at once, and it drained all of the noise from the room, sending things around the boys into slow motion. That is, until the dormitory door swung open. The two boys parted instantly to see Blaise Zabini standing in the doorway, "We missed you at the feast." he muttered.

"Oh… we had unpacking to do." Draco said, "Haven't had a chance to look over our textbooks either."

Goyle stood silent with his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on the tops of Draco's shoes; the blonde nudged him and he nodded quickly, "Reading, yeah."

Draco took a few steps back and any sort of romantic afterglow was swept away by the loud thud of Draco's legs against the heavy wooden bed frame. Draco winced but coughed to cover up any sounds of pain, "So, Zabini… how was your summer?"

Blaise smirked, "Better than yours… but not wonderful. The Ministry is blaming what happened on Voldemort and I expect that will only bring us trouble."

Goyle tensed and Draco looked up, "Why is-"

"Look, I won't tell anyone your father won't look at you., or that you were sitting with a bunch of Gryffindor losers, though that'll be hard to cover up. I won't even tell them that I caught you two snogging. I won't tell any of your stupid secrets but don't pretend like we didn't share a few ourselves."

"I'm going to the library." Goyle muttered, leaving the dormitory and the two boys in awkward silence.

Blaise studied his own fingernails for a moment before speaking in a casual tone, "Listen, Draco, I'm sorry about what happened to your mother."

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"Neville, wait up!" Ginny called as she spotted the boy heading for the Herbology greenhouse.

Neville ducked his head and continued but was forced to stop when Ginny stepped in front of him, "Oh… hi Ginny."

"What's going on?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"I'm… late for class." Neville said, "I really should hurry."

"Neville you're always late for class… are you avoiding me? Are you _ashamed_ of me?!" she demanded.

"No!" Neville whispered, "It's just… you wouldn't understand, Ginny. Everyone already knows… you know."

"Yeah, so?" Ginny asked, "It's not like I'm going to let you run off on me and have a fatherless child! We're too _young_ to get married what do they want from us?!"

"I don't think it's _you_ they want anything from." Neville said as a group of Ravenclaw girls passed.

Cho Chang smiled and waved, "Hi Ginny." she said, before looking over her shoulder to lead her friends in a group scowl at Neville as they passed.

"What did you do to _them_?" Ginny asked.

"IT'S NOT…" Neville stopped himself and shook his head, "We'll talk about this later; I'm _really _late."

Ginny hesitated but nodded, "Alright." she said, grabbing Neville's arm as he tried to pass her, "Hey!"

Neville turned back to her with a look of restrained misery and she leaned up to kiss his cheek, releasing his hand and watching him race off. She too was late for class, but as Ginny found herself alone in the empty hallway she couldn't bring herself to walk, and simply sank down to the floor, sitting against the wall.

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A/N: Ok so sorry that was so full of emo madness. It all needed to be said yada yada. So I guess everything that was foggy in this chapter will be touched on. Also to let you all know, the release of the seventh book has given me the idea to postpone my next update. With all of us reading the book and still going to see the fifth movie there really isn't a lot of time for reviewing _or_ writing. I'll put the second chapter off for ten days at the longest, but less time if I see some of the readers returning. I just know there is no need for you all to come back to five or six chapters to read once you've just finished a huge book. I'll keep writing of course, but I will hold onto the second chapter until everything is less hectic.


	2. Party Of Fifty

A/N: Here we go, chapter 2! I hope everyone had a lovely time reading the seventh book. I don't do spoilers here so don't panic. This chapter is set up rather distinctly. It starts with a paragraph of events from party (Thursday) night, and then switches to the dance (Friday) night, back and forth until the end. It shouldn't be too bad just as long as you remember each paragraph switches days, and that the ball happened after the secret party. Enjoy!

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Friday classes were long and drawn out, what classes there actually _were_. With McGonagall and Hagrid gone, and Snape serving as both Headmaster and Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, they were no Potions, Transfiguration or Care of Magical Creatures classes. While this shortened most everyone's day, it also forced them to remember the terrible events of the Zoo. It wasn't until dinner that the minds of the students were free to wander, and many of them were already whispering about the great party plan. George and Fred had found spells to both contain a large amount of water and to lock the doors from anyone besides guests' entrance. Hermione and Ron had seen to the portraits along with Draco and the recently informed Pansy, moving them all into the dungeons after explaining that they were going to be cleaned. Half of the portraits were hidden in one of the many clever secret passages, and even Filch and his insufferable cat had failed to find them in the hours after they had vanished. Snape, of course, had his suspicions, but shrugged them off in favor of giving the students some time to adjust, and just before midnight the main instigators--heavy one Slytherin--met in the Great Hall.

"I never actually thought this would work out." Pansy said thoughtfully, "Thank you for… including me."

Draco nodded stiffly, turning and walking further into the large room, "He's been through a lot." Goyle recited his favorite excuse to her.

"It's fine." Pansy said, looking down at her feet as Goyle walked away. When she raised her head her eyes met Harry's, and he looked away quickly, returning to his conversation with Ron.

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Snape sighed with mild annoyance as he watched the students file into the Great Hall; the Zoo survivors and their dates were last. Even Snape couldn't help but notice how strange the entering couples were. Draco came first with Ginny Weasley on his arm, behind them walked Gregory Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. With the Slytherins ahead of them, and Ginny out of range, Neville came in with a blonde Ravenclaw Snape recognized as the strange daughter of Xenophilius Lovegood. Ron Weasley came with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter with Cho Chang, Fred Weasley with Angelina Johnson and George with Alicia something or other, another Gryffindor. No surprises there, and soon, Snape had fallen back into the drone of the dance. Snape glanced up when the large doors opened again and his eye twitched, just slightly, as a young blonde in a golden dress crossed the room on the side to avoid the dance floor that was already populated with students, "I heard some of the kids almost drowned you last night."

She smiled and Snape couldn't help but grimace slightly, "Blonde?"

"Well I thought it would be more elegant." Tonks said quietly with a smile, "Shall we?"

"I don't dance." Snape said, crossing his arms nonchalantly.

"Oh come on, everyone dances." Tonks pressed.

"Honestly, Nymphadora, I haven't danced in over fifteen-" Snape was cut off as Tonks drug him out amongst the other dancers.

"Well now you're dancing. Come on, Severus; don't tell me you don't enjoy dancing. There's never been a girl you wanted to dance with?" she asked.

"One." Snape answered truthfully, making sure to keep a keen concentration on his steps for fear that Tonks would fall into a student or knock him over at any moment.

"Who was she?" Tonks asked, a gentle smile forming on her face that told Snape she probably already knew.

"Your cousin talks entirely more than he should." Snape said grimly.

"Nobody knows that more than I do." Tonks said, stumbling slightly.  
Snape caught her instinctively, his arm around her waist pulling her closer; Tonks smiled, leaning up for a kiss.

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"Isn't anyone going to _swim_ with me?" Hermione asked, walking up and grabbing Ron's arm, "I mean really, why go through all this trouble to sneak down here and not _swim_?"

"Hermione are you drunk?" Harry asked.

"Hm…" the prefect deliberated, "Yep."

"Blimey." Ron muttered.

"You certainly didn't waste any time." Harry mused.

"My brothers have really outdone themselves this time, getting Hermione drunk." Ron said, stumbling as Hermione drug him away towards the water.

"Harry comes on!" Hermione shouted.

Harry shook his head as he headed over to them, "I don't really swim, Hermione."

"Don't be stupid." Hermione dismissed, and drug him into the water.

Swimming wasn't all that bad, but he soon managed to sneak away and went for the supply of butter beer and fire whiskey that the twins had so generously provided. He turned back to watch his friends as he drank, hoping soon to be as far gone as they were. He barely noticed the girl beside him until she spoke, "I don't like to swim." she said quietly.

"Me either, good thing the twins only covered _half_ the floor with water." Harry agreed with a laugh.

Pansy smiled, "I never really got a chance to tell you… I think what you did was very brave, what you did for Cedric, _and_ leading the revolt at the Zoo."

"How do you know about that?"  
"Goyle told me." Pansy said, "He's really different now."

"So are you." Harry said, "I didn't think Slytherins went for brave."

"I will admit the boys in my house are… shallow and babyish. I see how you all changed Draco and Goyle and… I like it."

"Uh thanks… Pansy." Harry said, pleasantly surprised, "It's good to hear."

"Hi Harry."

Harry turned to see Cho Chang standing on the other side of him, "Hi, Cho." he said with a slight blush.

"I was… wondering… do you have a date to the dance tomorrow?"

"Uh, no." Harry said, smiling, "Not at all, I'd love if you'd go with me, actually."

"Of course I will, and I hope you weren't busy." Cho said, looking over as Pansy walked away, "With Pansy."  
"Oh her… no, we're not even friends." Harry dismissed.

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"What do you think happened to all of them?" Tonks asked thoughtfully.

"Who?" Snape asked absently, scanning the dance floor from when they sat together.

"Ginny and Neville." Tonks answered, picking at a spot on her dress, "They didn't come together, and they're not talking."

Snape scoffed, "Children." he said.

"That's your answer?" Tonks asked.

"I have no explanation other than they're over-emotional and controlled by their hormones." Snape said, "It's been this way since I started teaching."

"You remember teaching me?" Tonks said, nudging him, "Was I really that bad?"

"A disaster." Snape said, "Even for a Hufflepuff."

Tonks frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?" she said, crossing her arms.

Snape shook his head, a slow, arrogant smirk appearing on his face, "Nothing of course."

"Now that you're headmaster you'll have to treat all the Houses equally." Tonks said, "Have you thought about who you're going to hire?"

"Some." Snape said, "I have of course requested that the Ministry reconsider not giving me the responsibility, but they won't hear it. I need new House Heads for Gryffindor and Slytherin, and I need professors for Transfiguration, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures."

"So who are you considering?"

"Lucius Malfoy, for one." Snape said, scowling at the look Tonks gave him, "I realize that he was a Death Eater but he was a Prefect here at Hogwarts, and he's had a longstanding job with the Ministry. Besides, I believe in second chances."

"Alright." Tonks said, "And who else?"

"I had planned to ask you to consider taking the position of Transfiguration Professor… temporarily, of course." Snape replied, "I realize that your work as an Auror won't allow you to do it permanently but I need someone, at least for now. I've been speaking with the Ministry about reinstating Lupin as a Professor, or perhaps even lifting their charges on Sirius Black. Either of those two would make an acceptable addition to the staff."

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"Neville invited me and Cho." Luna said, "I didn't think Cho was going to come but she heard Harry would be here. I'm glad because I've always thought Neville was cute."

"You haven't heard the rumors?" Ginny asked.

"Well I don't believe them; I believe you're _pregnant_ of course but… I don't think its Neville's _fault_. Babies aren't anyone's fault; they're blessings, right?"

Ginny smiled, "Yeah."

"And I think it's great that you're not trying to force Neville to be with you or anything. You're not demanding his constant attention; it's very noble." Luna said.

Ginny's smile faltered, "I'm… not…?"

"I'll see you later, Ginny." Luna said with a smile, "Congratulations!"

Ginny watched the blonde leave before walking over to Neville, "Why did Loony Lovegood just tell me we're not together?"

Draco and Neville looked up from their conversation, "Ooh, explain this one, Longbottom." Draco muttered.

Neville gave Draco a look before speaking, "I told her that we weren't."

"Why?!" Ginny demanded.

"Because I think it would be best for no one to know that we are. I think you… would be better off." Neville said.

"Better off?!" Ginny shouted.

"Keep your voice down." Neville muttered.

"KEEP MY _VOICE_ DOWN?! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU PLAYING AT, NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!?"

"Yeah, what are you playing at?!" Draco shouted in agreement.

"Draco this isn't your fight." Goyle urged, taking the boy's arm after walking over.

Draco jerked away, "And I'm not your bloody boyfriend, _Goyle_, so keep your hands off of me!"

Goyle took a step back, stunned, but he saw Pansy walking away from Harry and Cho looking hurt, and he hurried off after her, "I don't know why you're making a big deal out of this!" Neville argued, "It's not like I'm shagging other girls! I'm not even _looking_ at them!"

"Shagging other girls?! DO YOU THINK ANYONE WILL COME NEAR YOU AFTER THEY SEE WHAT I LOOK LIKE IN A FEW MONTHS?!" Ginny screeched.

"You know, Ginny." Draco said, picking his moment, "I'm not going with anyone to the dance tomorrow, if you'd like to change your plans."

"Absolutely." Ginny said through clenched teeth, "It'll be _lovely_."

"Oh?" Neville countered, then turned to Luna who was in a group of students watching the frightening argument, "Luna, want to go to the dance with me?"

"Of course," she replied, flabbergasted, "But-"

"Fabulous." Neville said, crossing his arms.

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"So what was the party last night?" Tonks asked, "I've heard five kids talking about it already and I haven't even moved from this chair."

"I have no idea." Snape said, glancing around to ensure all other Professors were out of earshot, "Our little prodigies and their friends had a party in here last night."

Tonks hid a laugh with a gasp, "No!"

Snape nodded, "They made a swimming hole, at least five feet deep, judging from how much water came out through the door when it blew up."

"That's… wow." Tonks said.

"It's immature, dangerous, stupid, and Filch and I frightened at least some them badly enough to where I don't think they'll do it again." Snape said, "Of course, there's always _next_ year."

"I think you should stick to one year at a time." Tonks advised, "Especially with how stressed you are about having to hire new Professors and instate new House Heads. You're going to push yourself too hard."

"I'm fine." Snape argued, "If I'm not prepared to push myself too hard then I'm not prepared to be Headmaster, and I _am_ prepared, Nymphadora."

"Could you stop calling me that? Just call me Tonks." Tonks muttered.

"I of _all_ people will not be calling you by your last name." Snape countered.

"Fine, call me… _Dora_."

"Dora?" Snape asked with a slight smile.

"It's what my father calls me." Tonks replied.

Snape bit back a retort, and instead gave a hesitant nod, "Alright, Dora then. It's getting late."

"You're a chaperone."

"So are Pomona and Filius, and Pomona has seen a _lot_ of inappropriate behavior; she's Head of Hufflepuff, after all."

Tonks smiled and sighed as if remembering good times, "Yes… we kept her hopping."

"Most of the students are gone, and I should do a bit of patrolling." Snape said, ignoring the comment.

"Can I come with you?" Tonks asked.

Snape looked at her for a moment, judging how serious he was before answering as he stood and offered his hand, "You'll tell no one."

"Of course not." Tonks said, taking his hand and standing.

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"SNAPE IS COMING!" came the sudden shout, and the entire group turned to see the twins running towards them, "SCATTER!"

"The trophy room!" Harry whispered as Hermione and Ron ran to him and Cho, "Come on we can hide under the Invisibility Cloak until they leave!"

Students scattered everywhere, Draco, Goyle and Pansy gathered with the twins in the doorway as the other students escaped through the kitchens, heading in different directions, "We'd better clean this up before they get here." Draco muttered.

"They'll catch us; there's no time." Pansy argued.

"I have a better idea." Fred said, "One that'll get us away… or maybe kill us."

"Do tell." Draco said sarcastically.

"We'll take the containment charm off of the water and blow up the door." Fred said.

"We _are_ going to get killed." Pansy said, "Let's do it."

"_Finite Incantatem_!" Fred and George shouted together, pointing their wands to the large cube of water.

Draco and Goyle turned to each other for a panicked moment before Pansy aimed her wand for the door and shouted, "_Confringo_!"

The door exploded and Draco and Goyle looked at Pansy, "RUN!" the twins shouted from behind them, and they ran through the cloud of smoke left by the door just as the water erupted from the Great hall behind them. The avoided the wave and descended quickly to the dungeons where the twins joined the three Slytherins in their deserted Common Room, "That was insane." Goyle said.

"Being in here is insane." George said, walking around and exploring the Common Room.

"Oh it's just like yours." Pansy dismissed.

"It's nicer." George said.

"Bigger." Fred agreed, "But I'm pretty sure we have more fun in ours."

Draco scoffed, "Shows what you know; Slytherins are huge partiers."

"We just get away with it because we're all down here." Goyle added.

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"You're going to scare off all the students!" Snape scolded as Tonks giggled.

"What is it like fishing?" Tonks asked, "Scare off the students, honestly."

"What good is it patrolling if you don't catch anyone?" Snape countered.

"You're a strange man." Tonks said with a smirk.

Snape shrugged and lifted his wand, "_Homenum Revelio_."

"Find anyone?" Tonks asked.

"Around the corner." Snape replied, hurrying to the spot.

Tonks rushed after him, letting out a quiet scream when Professor Sprout turned the corner, and collided with young woman, "WHO'S THERE?!" she demanded as both women tumbled to the ground.

"Pomona?" Snape said, pulling Tonks off the older woman and helping her up.

Tonks dusted herself off as Sprout spoke, "Nymphadora Tonks is that you?"

"I was showing her out." Snape said.

"On the seventh floor?"

"What he means is he was showing me the Divination Tower; I was reminiscing." Tonks said.

"I seem to be having a flashback from _your_ days at Hogwarts when you drug boys up there all the time and then one of you would end up falling down the stairs or tripping over a hole in the floor or-"

Tonks laughed exaggeratedly, "Well that's why we're going up there right… never."

"Right." Sprout said, "Goodnight you two."

Once the woman was out of earshot, Tonks nudged Snape, "Have you _ever_ had a woman before?"

Snape scowled, "What?"

"Well you certainly aren't any good at hiding me!"

"Yes and you were _very_ helpful." Snape countered, "She thought you were drunk."

"Will you show me your office?" Tonks asked.

Snape gave her a suspicious glare, "No!"

"And I don't even mean your Headmaster's Office; I mean the one in the dungeon where all your interesting stuff is." Tonks giggled.

"Absolutely not." Snape said firmly.

Tonks smirked at him for a moment, and then took off sprinting down the hall after kicking off her heels, "RACE YOU!"

Snape took off after her, pulling out his wand, "Nymphadora get back here!"

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Pansy looked up at the muffled sounds of arguing, "Oh, somebody's forgotten the password again."

"Don't let them in, if they see the Gryffindors they'll flip." Draco warned.

"Who cares? Besides, whoever it is, they're out _hours past curfew anyway._ They won't start anything."

"Suit yourself." Draco resigned.

Pansy opened the portal and stumbled out of the way as Angelina burst in, wet and angry, "Fred you ruddy prat! You left me!"

"_You_ left me! We were the last ones out!" Fred argued.

"Bollocks!" Angelina shouted, "I was in the trophy room with the Golden Trio and Cho Chang the Ravenclaw _princess_ when I realize I'm _not_ invisible like they are and I'm going to get caught so I panic and just as I run out there is _water everywhere_!"

The boys stifled giggles while Pansy and Angelina gave them twin glares, "How did you get out?" she asked.

"Well I ran out as soon as the water knocked Snape and Filch down; I'm pretty sure I stepped on Filch's head." Angelina huffed.

"How do you know it was _his_ head?" Goyle asked, fighting off laughter.

"It was hollow." Angelina replied sarcastically, in response to which the four boys fell off the couch and rolled on the floor in hysterics.

"You're going to wake someone up!" Pansy snapped, kicking Goyle in the ribs as he rolled close to her.

"Alright already!" Angelina whispered, "We should probably get going you guys, before somebody finds us in the wrong common-"

The portrait swung open again, but this time it was Professor Snape who stepped in; all six children froze, and he stared at them a moment before speaking, "Do any of you know anything about what happened in the Great Hall tonight?"

All six shook their heads in unison; Snape nodded and turned back towards the portal, "Sir, you're all wet." Pansy said.

The other five fought off giggles as Snape stiffened, not turning around, "Thank you, Parkinson."

The Professor allowed the portrait to swing shut behind him, and the children were once again taken over by laughter.

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Tonks practically screeched with delight as she reached the Grand Staircase, pulling out her wand, "_Glisseo_!"

The staircases stopped moving and quickly came together in a long smooth ramp; Tonks began to slip downward and she leaned back to keep from falling. Snape hesitated at the top as Tonks sat down, the material of her dress causing her to move much faster downward. She let out another whoop that echoed against the walls and reached the ears of most of the sleeping students as she came closer to the ground floor. Snape quickly brandished his wand, "_Finite_!"

The stairs quickly reformed themselves, throwing Tonks the remaining ten feet or so to the bottom floor as Snape quickly descended the stairs two at a time. When he reached the dungeon floor, Tonks was nowhere to be found; Snape took a few steps forward, ignoring the shouts from Professors and students above as the rest of Hogwarts tried to sort out what had happened. Besides a few hushed voices, however, the dungeons were quiet, and there were no Slytherins in sight, "Nympha-" he started, and then corrected himself, "Dora?"

"I thought you'd never get here." Tonks' voice echoed quietly in the dark.

Snape turned just in time for her to reach him; she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing him back against the wall. Snape returned her kiss without struggle, losing himself in the moment until a bright light shone in his face. He pulled back and looked up with Tonks, "Professor Snape?"

Snape noticed Filch instantly and managed to shake off his deer-in-the-headlights expression, replacing it with a scowl, "Yes?"

"I heard a lot of shouting and I tracked it down here." Filch said.

"And what makes you think it was _me_?" he snapped.

Filch shook his head quickly, and all three adults looked up as the door to the Slytherin common room swung open, and three Slytherins stepped out with three Gryffindors, all six laughing quietly. They froze when the saw the adults, and Draco Malfoy spoke first, "Professor Snape?"

"Mr. Malfoy."

"There they are! All these kids were making that racket!" Filch cried.

All six children looked mortified; it was hilariously similar to Snape's encounter the night before, however, Harry and his two friends replaced the twins and Angelina. Harry stepped forward, "With all due respect Professor, it wasn't us."

"No, it wasn't." Snape concluded.

"They're lying!" Filch hissed.

"No." Snape repeated.

"But-" Filch stammered

"It wasn't them!" Snape said, the severity in his voice made the groundskeeper recoil and leave the dungeons, his fleeting lantern light casting shadows across the Headmaster's face.

"Sir…" Harry said, stepping forward.

"There is no reason for students not to fraternize within Houses." Snape said, "There is also no reason for punishment as long as you are en route to your common room."

"Um… thank you." Harry said, caught off guard.

"En route, Potter." Snape said.

"Of course." Harry said, leading the two other Gryffindors down the hall.  
Snape stared at his students for a moment before speaking, "Get to bed." and dragging a giggling Tonks into his office.

The three Slytherins exchanged looks shrugged, and returned to their common room.

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	3. Things That Were

A/N: Ok so I've been promising a lot of you paperwork from the zoo and also an update on Arthur Weasley so here it is. The paperwork includes a chart of captured Wizards and Witches with their aggression levels, the paperwork the Muggles used to match the captured for mating, and a few paragraphs on Arthur's current condition, thoughts and emotions while staying at the Zoo; this spans time from when they leave him to way after where we are in the Window. Only two paragraphs will actually be paperwork though, so don't worry about them breaking up the reading. They'll be at the very end and will be an optional read. Enjoy!

--

Arthur Weasley had never been a very violent man; he hadn't shouted often, even at his own children. Molly had doled out most of the punishment in the household, and Arthur hadn't even been aggressive at work. Somehow, though, he had been one of the first to go violent at the zoo; a good-hearted person would assure him that it was to protect his children, but Arthur knew the truth. The muggles weren't simply muggles to Arthur; they were his enemies at the ministry, Lucius Malfoy, Molly's rude soulless relatives. When he'd attacked that woman with the needle, he'd never even seen her face. He'd been staring into the eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange, and was that so wrong?

Now that Molly was dead he didn't think about much but the past. Ignoring her absence was what kept him more or less sane; he didn't want to see or hear anymore of his children. He'd loved them, but now he knew he'd only loved them because they were all gifts from his wonderful Molly. He would never be able to take care of them like she had. No one would. That was partly why he'd stayed in the zoo and sent them away; he wouldn't have to see them live without their mother if he would never see them again. It had been the easiest decision he'd made since they were forced into the zoo. Lucius Malfoy had been there, volunteered to stay.

Arthur sympathized with him; everyone knew that Lucius cared for Narcissa far more than Draco. The beatings he gave the boy when he was angry weren't a secret, even to the Weasley family. Ever since the boy hit puberty Lucius had been smacking him around, but if anyone else even looked at the boy oddly, Lucius was up in arms; Narcissa was the fuel behind most of Lucius' over protectiveness.

--

It was daytime; he judged this by the heat. After the Ministry had left, the muggles had put up some large tarp or sheet to hide Arthur from the usual gawkers. He spent his time in almost complete darkness, except for a small lantern that was firmly bolted to the back entrance of his 'exhibit'. One night, he'd gone down to that chasm at the front of his darkened cage, crawling on his belly like the animal the muggles had made him. When he no longer felt the earth beneath him, he'd stood up and stared down into darkness even more powerful than that in the rest of the exhibit. He'd considered throwing himself down in that hole, how it would feel when his neck or his back snapped, how long it would take him to die alone in that cramped space. Those thoughts had give Arthur a feeling that bordered on ecstasy, so much so that he'd started to unconsciously lean out across the chasm; he could escape, maybe see Molly again.

Something had stopped him then, perhaps the nagging but loving voice of his Molly in his head, scolding him for being foolish. He'd returned to his spot beneath the lantern and cried until he fell asleep. Arthur knew the muggles were watching him constantly, for when he awoke the next morning, that chasm was covered with a strong metal grating, barely big enough for him to slip a foot through. He was left in the darkness for weeks, eating what they slid through the door and stumbling in the darkness until he found the quaint spill of water to drink. It was the anticipation that drove him to madness, and it was relief he felt when they drug him inside and strapped him down to the gurney.

--

The heat was gone from Arthur's days now; it had been for a long time. When the muggles passed his gurney they wished each other happy Easter. Arthur's memory, shattered and blurry though it was, told him that Easter was a holiday that muggles celebrated in spring. The last date he remembered was somewhere mid-July; was it possible that he had been in that dark hole, in this blinding white room for almost a year? Time was impossible to discern in this room where the same people came and went every few hours, smelling of alcoholic, poisonous sterility. They watched and listened and waited, waited for Arthur to do something amazing, or in the least scientifically relevant. Arthur wished he could he could do anything, just anything interesting, so they would all stop staring.

The children would be getting out of Hogwarts soon; what would they do then? Arthur tried to imagine them living happily with Lupin and Sirius, or possibly Amos Diggory and his wife. They must hate him, and rightly so; he'd abandoned his children… what was left of them. Molly would die all over again if she could see him now; Arthur glances sickly at the multiple needles lining his arm, pumping him full of chemicals and taking samples. When the door opened and a nameless intern stepped inside, Arthur saw that it was dark and starless; probably two or three in the morning; he smiled strangely and closed his eyes.

Arthur found himself covered in sweat and panting, adrenaline screaming through is veins; he wasn't lying down, he was upright, and running. The flashes of what he had done began to reenter his mind. The intern had come in… Arthur could remember smiling, and sitting up. He'd ripped free of the needles, spraying blood on himself and the approaching intern. There was a struggle, and now… now the running, soaked in sweat and wearing stolen scrubs. Dried blood caked his forearm, and his lungs and muscles burned after so much time unused.

This was it then, the destiny he had given himself that day he'd fought with Lucius Malfoy for the chance to remain at the zoo. Lucius had wanted glory, and Arthur had only wanted an escape. But neither of them would get what they wanted for now Lucius sat in his study brooding over his dead wife and sexually confused son--while Arthur ran down the street in strange muggle clothes and caked in sweat and blood. There was no glory and there was no escape for old men. He knew then, what he had to do, what Easter meant for the fragile wandless wizard; he would go home.

--

Lucius Malfoy (5)

Narcissa Malfoy (T)

Draco Malfoy (3)

Bellatrix Lestrange (T)

Rudolphus Lestrange (T)

Rabastan Lestrange (T)

Crabb Sr (T)

Goyle Sr (T)

Vincent Crabb (T)

Gregory Goyle (4)

Severus Snape (1)

Minerva McGonagall (T)

Rubeus Hagris (T)

Remus Lupin (2)

Sirius Black (2)

Albus Dumbledore (T)

Nymphadora Tonks (2)

Harry Potter (3)

Hermione Granger (2)

Arthur Weasley (4)

Molly Weasley (T)

Fred Weasley (1)

George Weasley (4)

Bill Weasley (T)

Charlie Weasley (T)

Percy Weasley (4)

Ginny Weasley (1)

Ronald Weasley (4)

Arabella Figg (REMOVED)

Katie Bell (T)

Angelina Johnson (1)

Viktor Krum (5)

Augusta Longbottom (T)

Neville Longbottom (4)

Legend:

1. Low to no aggressive behavior: responds to pain by either fleeing or ignoring it. Subject shows no possibility of attacking either due to temperament or mental state.

2. Shows slight promise of aggression but is either physically limited or only defensive of offspring or mate.

3. Over-protective of others in enclosure or ill-tempered, will attack if provoked but remains otherwise calm. Shows promise of lowering to a two level with rehabilitation and socialization.

4. Will struggle and flee at any given chance, will also prevent staff from handling any other animals in the enclosure. Shows hatred towards keepers and will instantly go into a defensive mode of thinking when one enters the exhibit. Will eventually stop struggling if no longer provoked and tend to be more defensive than offensive. Highly resourceful and at times clever, have/will unarm a keeper and use weapon against them. Contact with low-experience keepers is not recommended.

5. Highest form of aggression, attacks unprovoked and will not stop aggressive behavior, HIGHLY DANGEROUS when approached or not. These cases are to be kept in a HIGHLY SECURE enclosure and NEVER to be associated with by low-experience keepers.

T. Animals that have been humanely euthanized or died within their exhibit naturally. Blood, organs, and genetic information are available in all Level 1 laboratories on zoo property.

Case 14 suffers from violent genetic mutation that requires further analysis.

--

**Expedients**

Case 19: Case 28

Case 27: Case 34

Case 31: Case 22

**Insurmountable Cases**

Case 1: Aggression towards other specimens as well as workers.

Case 3: Closeness to male specimen Case 10, skittish when alone and shows no interest in female specimens, possibly due to genetic disorder. Case 3 is currently set up to undergo treatment to prepare for future breeding.

Case 10: Displays no desire for other specimens, possibly suffering from a disorder similar to Case 3; exploratory experimentation planned.

Case 14: Shows close bond to Case 15 and will not make physical contact with female specimens. Appears to suffer from voluntary Lycanthropy as Case 15 and is unsuitable for breeding.

Case 15: Shows close bond with Case 14 and avoids contact with other specimens. Suffers from involuntary Clinical Lycanthropy and is not to be bred as with Case 14.

Case 25: Suffers from symptoms of stress and displays inordinate aggression to self and other specimens when separated from the female Case 21.

Case 11: Shows no interest in other specimens and displays the least sociality of specimens.

**Antediluvians**

Case 12

Case 20

Case 21

Case 20 and 21 are still within age range for breeding but already possess 6 offspring within facility.

--

A/N: Holy crap I have been so lazy and bad and LAZY! But now I am back as you can see! Next week is finals week so I won't promise chapter for up before like next Saturday or so, but I will promise that I'm going to stop ignoring this fic because it did a lot for me and it deserves better than to just sit around and get all moldy! Anyway, in chapter 4 look for a new romance, more Ginny/Neville drama, reminiscing and NAKED LUCIUS! WEEHEE!


	4. Much Ado About Much Ado

A/N: Night 4

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It was a long, fair-weather day at Hogwarts, and inside the Great Hall things had begun to return to normal, fewer curious glances, and even the highest wet spots from the watery explosion nights before had started to dry, leaving Filch and the castle ghosts and portraits with less to complain about.

"I had a lot of fun at the dance." Cho said quietly, "Thank you, Harry."

Harry glanced up and smiled across the table, "You're welcome, Cho; I enjoyed it too."

"I wanted to ask you if you'd like to walk me to my next class." The girl was so perfect it made Harry's heart skip a beat, but then he caught sight of something else across the room that nearly knocked him from his chair, "I'd love to Cho but… but… I have a meeting with…" Harry's mind raced as he tried to come up with something, "Quidditch!" he blurted, then jumped up and was gone.

Cho watched him go, and then turned to look at Ron and Hermione who gave her twin looks of mock sympathy before leaving as well. Harry saw none of this, for he'd already followed the thing out into the entrance hall, and up the stairs, "I thought it was you." He breathed, looking around to see if he'd been followed.

"I wasn't sure you saw me until you dove out of your chair." Cedric mused, "How is Cho?"

"She's fine. Why don't you ask her yourself?" Harry examined, "I'm sure she'd be glad to hear from you."

Cedric shook his head, the movement was slow, and strange wisps of smoke scattered through the air, "What makes you think I could appear to her? What makes you think I'm even really appearing to you?"

"I don't care about any of that." Harry said, "What does it matter?"

"Do you like Cho?" Cedric asked suddenly.

"I don't know." Harry replied, clearing his throat, "Where are we going?"

"We're just walking. You should really get to know her better. She's very receptive at this point in time, Harry; I imagine she'd be quite happy to go out with you if you would only man up and ask her to."

Harry stared at the apparition for a moment, "Are you suggesting that I date someone else?"

"Of course I am." Cedric said, "I'm tired of watching you be the third wheel of your friends, and they aren't even dating each other!"

"Then stop watching me." Harry said weakly, although it was hard for him to argue with the truth.

Cedric nodded, "I'm going away, Harry. I won't be coming back."

Harry turned to face the other boy, "W-where are you going?" he asked, his eyes already brimming with tears at the thought.

"Stop that." Cedric said, "Talking to dead people isn't healthy, Potter. You need to go live your life now, alright? I stayed as long as you needed me."

"I still need you."

"Harry," Cedric said with what had to be annoyance, "Wake up."

Harry sat up quickly and looked around, adjusting his glasses, "What?"

"I said wake up; we're trying to have a conversation and you're taking a nap!" Hermione scolded.

Harry saw Cho smile at him from the Ravenclaw table, and he stood, making his way over to her. Ron gave Hermione a smug smile, "Face it Hermione, he's growing out of you."

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"Oh I am _so_ tired of you!" Ginny shouted, "Just go and leave me alone!"

"You've got a lot of nerve speaking to me this way when this whole thing is your-"

Ginny cut him off with a resounding slap to his face. There was a blush of humiliation rising in Neville's cheeks when he faced her again; the sound reached the other students in the hall and everyone fell silent, staring at them. The Gryffindor boy twitched slightly before charging forward and picking the girl up suddenly. Ginny was so surprised that she only managed to let out a single cry as Neville carried her off down the hallway angrily, "PUT ME DOWN YOU DISGUSTING-"

"Do you know what I can't stand about you!?" Neville snapped, cutting off her tantrum, "You are selfish! You won't allow me to help with the baby, and you won't allow me to just _ignore_ the baby. What do you want?!" He dropped her when they reached the Gryffindor Common Room, onto one of the large plush couches.

Ginny scowled, sitting up and adjusting her uniform, "I've already told you to just leave me alone." she said, "You obviously don't _want_ the baby so just leave!"

"Do you know what people say about me, Ginny? Have you seen the way they look!?"

"Yeah yeah you're a rapist; you forced me. Your pure reputation is stained forever." Ginny muttered, "I've heard it all before, Neville."

Neville scowled, pulling a small piece of folded paper from his pocket and tossing it to Ginny. She caught it and unfolded it, "There." he said icily.

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "Why am I holding a bank statement? What is this?"

"It's _ours_." he said.

The girl scanned the paper again, her eyes slowing over the obscene amount of zeroes, "Whose ours?"

"Yours and mine and… and _its_!" Neville said, "It's my inheritance."

Ginny looked at him silently for a moment, "So… what? You're telling me that if I'm not nice to you that you won't give me any of this?" she snapped.

"No." Neville said sullenly, "I thought I was saying that despite all of the fighting I want to share it with you because we're a family."

Ginny was silent, and she watched the boy leave, still holding the bank note in her hands. She had gone suddenly pale.

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Angelina wiped tears from her face quickly when the door to the Common Room opened; Hermione stepped in, her face solemn, and she sat heavily beside Angelina, a concerned Ron following her, "I was only joking, Hermione." He said, and then gave up when he got no reaction, leaving the room.

Ginny descended the stairs just as the portrait swung back into place, still clutching the piece of paper, her other hand on her stomach. She sat on the arm of the couch and stared into the fire, "Hello Hermione, Angelina."

"Hullo." The girls responded monotonously.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I miss Katie." Angelina responded.

"I miss Harry… and Viktor." Hermione echoed.

"Neville just told me he was sharing his inheritance with me." Ginny said with a saddened sigh.

The older lionesses gave Ginny twin glares, "If you weren't pregnant I would shove you right off of this couch." Angelina snapped.  
"What?"

"Come on, Ginny. We're supposed to pity you?" Angelina continued, "You should be happy and just bask in the glow. You've already started a family and you're barely in your fourth year!"

"And you think I'm _happy_ about that!?" Ginny demanded, "I was just scared and vulnerable for one night and-"

"Oh please, _Neville _was scared and vulnerable; you totally took advantage of him." Angelina countered.

Ginny looked to Hermione for help but the girl shrugged slightly, "Well… I can't see Neville doing anything without a request."

"You mean a direct order." Angelina snorted.

"Stop it, you two!" Ginny snapped, standing quickly and storming out of the room.

"You're just like your mother." Hermione called after her, and then smiling, "Can you imagine Ginny after seven children?"

"She'll probably just be the same as now… Neville will be the one who suffers," Angelina said, and both girls gave quiet laughs.

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Tonks glanced around her with keen interest, her wand held ready; the Malfoy mansion wasn't something she expected to see the inside of unless she was making an arrest. Her hair was black, hanging in her face slightly as she ducked a cobweb and stood at the base of the stairs, "Severus?" she called quietly, and then "SEVERUS!"

A muffled male voice called down from upstairs, and so Tonks mounted the stairs—after a slight stumble—and climbed up. The sound of rushing water reached her as she opened the heavy door from behind which the voice had come, "Severus?" she called softly.

Tonks realized that she was in a very large, ridiculously lavish washroom, and before she could react, the elaborately made curtain was pushed aside and Lucius Malfoy stepped from the shower. She turned her head quickly, her hair falling in her face enough to hide her shocked expression, and the nude man from her view—for the most part, "My my." Lucius said smoothly, "Looks like you've redecorated for a new tenant, hm?"

Tonks scowled when she realized that he meant her hair, ebony black with the occasional streak of the pinkish purple, "You shouldn't talk about things you don't know about," she said, turning away, "Uncle." The word was spit with such malice that it might as well of been a curse or insult.

Lucius sighed, "Well I suppose we're not related any longer." He said quietly, no emotion in his voice.

Tonks turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she saw that Lucius had dressed, at least from the waist down. She wrinkled her nose, "The zoo made you wild." She said, walking out of the bathroom.

Lucius chuckled, "Dear girl, if you're going to flirt with me, you should know that I am nearly twice your age." He advised, walking past her and into one of the rooms Tonks presumed to be a bedroom, "Although that hardly seems to bother you."

"I didn't come to flirt!" she shouted after him, "I came to-"

"Nymphadora?"

Tonks turned and saw Snape coming out of a large open doorway, "Severus, I came as soon as the owl arrived. Although I'm not sure why you had me meet you here."

"It's a safe place from prying eyes." He said, "And it's where I'm keeping a few things until my office is switched completely. Lucius and I have also been discussing his taking the position of Potions Master and Slytherin House Head at Hogwarts."

Tonks winced, "Are you sure he's the right man for the job?"

"No, he isn't." Lucius said as he stepped back out into the hallway, "Which is why we have been discussing it. My employment will be a conditional one, I assure you. Truly, Severus, I never thought it would be you who would wind up with such a young witch at your disposal; I certainly didn't expect you to wed yourself into the Black family."

"That is most certainly not my intention." Snape said stiffly,

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Ron kicked at the dirt as he walked down toward Hagrid's cabin, no real direction to his late afternoon ramblings other than away from the other lions. Hermione's mood swings, his sister being pregnant, Fred and George having some weird fight over Angelina and Harry's habit of wandering off and talking to himself, all of these things were starting to grate at Ron's nerves, and despite the closeness he felt with the other survivors, he badly needed an escape. Ron thought that he had been very tolerant when he had found out about Ginny and Neville, although there was no doubt that he had wanted to pummel Longbottom for even looking at his sister… much less the other things he'd done to her; Neville was simply dealing with enough punishment from Ginny that Ron didn't feel the need to step in.

The redheaded lion turned his slightly freckled face upward when he heard a rustling in the trees, but saw nothing, and so he moved his gaze back to his path, crying out and falling backwards when there was suddenly someone in front of him, "Bloody hell!" he complained, standing up and doing his best to dust off his dignity.

"I'm sorry!" she said, the figure that had startled him.

Ron shook his head, then got a good look at the girl, "Loony Lovegood," he said, and then realized his slip-up, but did nothing to correct it, "Why you going around sneaking up on people?"

"I wasn't planning to sneak up on you," she said, "I was feeding the Thestrals and you weren't watching where you were going."

Ron stared at her for a moment, "Thestrals?"

"You can't see them?" she asked softly, "Only people who have seen death can see them… I assumed… I'm sorry."

Ron realized what she was insinuating and he bristled slightly, "I didn't see Mum die," he said, "And I don't see any Thestrals either." There was less annoyance in his voice, less surprise, but instead a strange interest.

"My mother died," Luna told him, and then offered her hand to the tall gruff boy.

Ron looked at the pale girl's delicate hand for a moment before taking it. His brothers had all gone mental and his sister was a younger, tiny version of his mother then he didn't need much more excuse to pursue a relationship with a strange girl.

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A/N: New romance for Chapter 5 and maybe (hopefully) even some more naked Lucius! (Ok maybe not) I was going to try for a Remus, Sirius and Viktor section this time and a paragraph with Fred and Angelina being all fluffy but all this somehow eluded me and by this point I think you guys deserve SOMETHING if you're still reading the story! So… enjoy what little I have to offer! I graduated a while back so now I'm using my Bachelor's degree in English to my best ability and writing fanfiction! Hurray for education! I should be beaten for taking so long but hey, I gave you a gift! Naked Lucius doesn't just come along every fanfic now does he?! Read! Review! Dance!


	5. Dark Secrets

It was mid September and Hogwarts danced in the colors of Fall, oranges, yellows and reds, but for Lucius Malfoy, the only color that mattered was green. The Slytherin common room was draped with it, and even with strange students, it felt like home. Everything reminded him of Narcissa so suddenly and violently that he could barely breathe. He turned and stepped out, coming face to face with the one person he had been taking care to avoid, "Father?"

Lucius closed his eyes and sidestepped the boy, hurrying off to his office and slamming the door behind himself. He slid to the floor with a soft sob and sat there, "I can't do this," he muttered.

"Don't give up. Draco needs you."

Lucius frowned, "I need you here, not him. I wish-"

"No, Lucius. Don't say that. I would die a thousand times to protect him. You have to do that for me now."

"I'm sorry, love. I'm trying," Lucius said, looking over and seeing no one, "I'm still trying."

He stood and went to his desk, sitting heavily and shuffling through his lesson plans and schedules, not looking up when a soft knock sounded on the door, "Come," he muttered.

"Hard at work already."

"You know me, Severus. I've always been a workaholic, maybe not as bad as you." He looked up and managed to look at lease somewhat pleasant.

Snape nodded, "We are grateful to have you here. Pomona asked me to offer you the Deputy Headmaster position."

Lucius actually chuckled, "Eager to be rid of it, is she?"

"She's old," Snape said.

"We're all old."

"I suppose that's right," Snape said, "I certainly feel it. We need to speak again, when you're up to it."

Lucius shifted and looked up to meet Snape's gaze, "I'll find my way to your office this afternoon."

Snape looked around the office, "It's good to have you here," he said, and then left.

"It's good to be here," Lucius said, and he meant it.

* * *

"Moony!"

Remus looked up with one eye open, "What is it?" he muttered, still half asleep.

"Snivelus sent an owl," Sirius said, sitting on the edge of the bed, "He's going to the Ministry to petition for my pardon and your reinstatement as a teacher."

Remus grunted in response, closing his eyes again.

"Come on, Moony," Sirius said, laying a hand on his back, "You can't stay depressed forever. What you did was entirely accidental."

"That doesn't make it easier," Remus said, "I killed people, and I nearly got us all killed on that plane. I've never felt more like an animal."

Sirius sighed and stood, "You're just as much a man as I am, maybe even more. You can't blame yourself; if we hadn't been captured, you would be fine."

"Wouldn't we all be," Remus agreed, "But we aren't. I'm not sure I can take on a teaching position at the moment."

Sirius scowled and shoved Remus unceremoniously off the bed, "What would James say? Look at you! Whining like Moaning Myrtle! You are one of the only men who knows what happened to these children and you owe them!"

"So you throw me on the ground?" Remus asked, obviously angry.

Sirius continued, "You have a real chance to go out and do something important. I'll likely be arsing about this flat for the rest of my life. Now that is something to moan about."

"Yes well you give a whole new meaning to the term Underdog," Remus muttered, standing slowly.

Sirius chuckled, the tension broken, "Fine Moony, lets just agree not to let opportunity pass us by?"

"Deal," Remus said, sitting back on the bed, "Now, help me find my pants, will you?"

"If I'd known you were going to put me to work I would have let you laze about a while longer," Sirius grumbled.

"Hindsight is always twenty twenty it seems. Where's that letter from Severus? If he needs any help I suppose we should grant it."

Sirius tossed Remus his pants and then walked out of the bedroom, "It's on the table in the kitchen. Feel free to cook something while you're in there."

Remus shook his head with a smile as he dressed and then walked downstairs to find the letter.

* * *

Hogwarts was quiet, finally, after the celebrations and prying questions were over. Hermione was finally back to what she did best, learning. Ginny and Neville were busy planning their future, and so Hermione was more or less off the hook in that friendship with only Harry and Ron left to babysit, but they made things difficult enough. Harry was caught between Cho Chang and his memory of Cedric Diggory-which he thought was a big secret. Ron was busy deciding whether to give Neville a hard time or run off with Luna Lovegood and Hermione did her best to give them both sound advice, although trying to tell a boy about a girl is like trying to explain advanced muggle technology to a Death Eater, a waste of time and likely to be something you regret in the long run.

On top of this nonsense, she missed Viktor terribly. He'd gone home a hero, no longer able to play Quidditch due to his injury at the hand of the muggles. He'd promised to write, but nothing had come so far. She tried to be patient, but it did wear on her nerves and cause her to snap at Ron even more than usual, though she was certain he did deserve it.

"Hermione, help me with this Prefect badge would you?" Ron muttered, struggling to get it on his robe straight.

"I am not your house elf, Ronald!" she snapped.

Ron looked at her as if she were crazy, "What's gotten into you?" he asked loudly, "It's just a badge!"

Hermione scowled, "You didn't say please."

Ron gave her an angry, defiant look and Harry intervened, "I'll help you, Ron," he said, fixing the badge.

"Thanks, Harry."

"Listen," Hermione muttered, "We have a lot of homework to do for Snape. Lets just get it done."

"We never worked that hard on Snape's stuff before," Ron said.

"You mean you didn't," Harry said, "I'm not keen on getting him angry. Besides... I think... I don't know. Maybe he's not that bad, with You-Know-Who gone, I mean."

Ron made a face, but conceded, "I am a prefect, guess now is as good a time as any to shape up."

Hermione was thoughtful, "Are we sure he's even gone for good? He came back once, after all."

Harry rubbed the scar on his forehead distractedly, "It doesn't do us any good to talk about it," he said, standing and leaving the common room.

"We'll now you've gone and done it, Hermione," Ron joked as he stood to follow, "See you in Potions later."

Hermione gave him a look and started her third letter to Viktor.

* * *

Snape was composing a letter, the seventh of the day, when Lucius stepped in, "Severus?"

Snape looked up, "Lock the door."

Lucius did as he was asked before taking one of the seats across Snape's desk, usually reserved for students in trouble, "This is about Voldemort isn't it?"

"It is," Snape said, "About what Albus discovered, mostly, the reason Voldemort was able to return."

Lucius seemed surprised, "You think he'll do it again?"

Snape exhaled, "According to Dumbledore, Voldemort created Horcruxes. he believes that six were made. His notes are sparse and cryptic as i suspect he feared discovery. I am doing what I can with it, but I will eventually need more than just myself."

"Six Horcruxes," Lucius said, "I might know something, or be able to find something out. The diary?"

"A Horcrux, according to Albus, but it was destroyed. Five would remain in that case."

"If the diary was one then maybe the cup of Hufflepuff that he gave to Bellatrix is one as well," Lucius offered, "I suppose the Lestrange's vault will be no trouble to get into and find the cup."

"The rest could be anywhere," Snape added, "I have to ask, Lucius, what do you intend to do with the cup when you fetch it?"

Lucius sighed, suddenly looking very tired, "Destroy it, I suppose."

Snape didn't say anything for a while, "You would betray Him?"

Lucius gave a snort, "In a heartbeat, I would. Narcissa is dead; Draco is... dallying with that boy and I am a teacher. Blood Purity had waned in its importance. Not to mention the fact that the muggles treated the Mudbloods as if they were the same as the rest of us. Our real enemy is all of those damned muggles, and it would take an army bigger than one I've ever seen to bring them all down." He shifted in his seat, "Thirdly, I haven't the patience for him always barking orders. I'm not the sort of man to grovel, not without good cause. Without him alive, I fear no wizard."

Snape took it all in silently, leaning back in his chair, "Then I'll begin researching in earnest. In the meantime, if you get the cup, bring it here. We can amass the Horcruxes that we find in this office until we have the means to destroy them, another thing I'm working on."

"We're likely not to get much help," Lucius said, "Not from the Ministry, anyway."

"I have no intentions of alerting them to it," Snape said, "For now, it is between the two of us until I learn more."

Lucius stood, "Very well, it's Gringotts for me then, I suppose. I'll need to hurry if I don't intend to miss any classes."

"Thank you, Lucius," Snape said as the man left, then he turned back to his letter, one small weight lifting from his mind.

* * *

"Professor Snape, I didn't expect to see you here in the Ministry so-"

"I haven't come to expose any secrets. I've come to petition the Ministry," Snape interrupted.

"Petition?" Fudge asked nervously, "Petition for what?"

"The pardoning of Sirius Black and the removal of the laws preventing Remus Lupin from teaching as the laws of which I speak are based in ignorance," Snape said calmly, never so much as batting an eyelash.

Cornelius Fudge didn't look pleased, but now he looked more confident, "What reason have you for Black's pardon?"

Snape gave him an icy look that made the man squirm in his chair, "The proof I have has escaped me at the moment," he said, "Although circumstances being as they were-"

"Very well," Fudge conceded grudgingly, scribbling out a decree, "Have your pardon. Dolores Umbridge drafted the werewolf laws; that's her baby to rock, I'm afraid."

Snape took the paper without a word and left the office as silently as he had come, bound for the Undersecretary's office.

Umbridge was an unpleasantly pink woman, a thin, fake smile stretched her face in a way that made Snape uncomfortable, no small feat. She motioned wordlessly for him to sit, "Severus Snape, the man of the hour," she said, her words like slime, "What brings you here?"

Snape regarded the woman who was still smiling at him in an expecting manner, "I am here on behalf of Hogwarts," he said, biding time, "We are in need of additional teaching staff. I am here to ask that your legislature against werewolves be overturned."

Umbridge busied herself with papers for a moment before looking back up, "What is this regarding, Severus?"

Severus caught the tone in her voice and had a decision to make, reveal his allegiance with Dumbledore or continue to play the part of Death Eater, "This is strictly administrative," he said, "But it won't hurt to have a degree of control over the remains of those who oppose us."

Umbridge's face broke out into a grin, "Very well, for you, for Him, I'll suspend the legislation. Also, Pettigrew has been looking for an audience with Lucius." She scribbled down an address and gave it to him, her hand moving to the locket around her neck, bearing a green snake, "If you'd be so kind."

"Of course," Severus said, "What a lovely locket."

"Oh thank you. It's an heirloom of the Selwyn family. I'm a descendant."

She gave him a meaningful smile and Snape had to struggle not to roll his eyes, "Lovely," he repeated and stood, "I must be on my way. My duties as Headmaster leave me little social time."

"Do send word if anything comes up," she called just before he let the door shut behind him.

Snape made a mental note to never set foot in the office of Dolores Umbridge again as he left the Ministry, eyes glued to the address she'd given him.

* * *

It was evening before he made it back to the castle, sending owl after owl and running a few small school-related errands. When he returned to his office, it wasn't empty, "I let myself in."

"I'm not surprised. Yours wasn't comfortable enough?"

Tonks laughed, "Not nearly as big, and the portraits are older than dirt down there."

Snape shook his head, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long, I had a lot of business to wrap up today. I ran into Lucius at Gringotts. He looked awfully pleased with himself, left you a package here too."

Snape turned and went quickly to his desk, opening the small box. Laying on top of a golden cup was a note that read,

Severus,

Here's the cup. I emptied out the Lestrange's vault and closed it.

Don't touch the damned thing!

Lucius

Snape looked up in time to see Tonks reaching for the cup, "Stop."

Tonks did as she was told, her fingers just millimeters above it, "What is it?" She asked, looking up at him.

"It's a Horcrux. Lucius left a warning against touching it," Snape said, picking up the entire box and placing it inside one if the glass cabinets he'd emptied, locking it.

"Horcrux? What's-"

"Another day," Snape dismissed, "I'm exhausted and I need to get a message back to Lucius."

"The two of you have a lot of secrets nowadays," Tonks said, "Is he up to no good?"

Snape weighed his options before replying, "He and I are on the cusp of a plot that will bring down Voldemort for good. If the Ministry hears of it and takes it out of our hands, it would fail."

"Just because I'm an Auror doesn't mean I trust those crooked politicians," Tonks said, "But if you're not ready, I won't push."

"I have happier news," Snape offered, "Sirius has been pardoned and the legislation against Remus' employment has been lifted."

Tonks grinned, "That's brilliant, Severus! How'd you do it?"

"Intimidation and deception."

"Dumbledore would be proud," Tonks mused, "I'll make some tea."

Snape raised a hand to stop her, "I will make tea. You sit and don't touch anything."

Tonks folded her arms and sat on the edge of his desk, a mischievous look in her eyes, "Now I have to touch everything."

* * *

A/N: Yes there you have it. After thirty years, I update. This chapter was very Dark Lordy, so maybe we'll focus more on those whiny kids next chapter. I also edited my fic Sort Me Out for those of you who read it and fixed some errors; I'm currently working on its third chapter as well. Thanks for reading!


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